Government considers policy to diversify, boost milk production

Milking time. The State is seeking ways of connecting milk from goats, sheep and camel farmers to processors. Photo/File

The government is in the process of formulating a policy that will see milk from goats, sheep and camel farmers connected to processors as a way of increasing production which currently stands at 30 per cent.

Livestock Principal Secretary Harry Kimtai the government is committed to increasing milk production in the country which currently stands at 5.2 billion litres annually. He said a lot of attention had been focused on cows whose production has been decreasing, adding that there was need to diversify to other milk producing animals.

Kimtai said the dairy industry was characterised by low productivity per cow with bulk of it being processed by small-scale farmers while a smaller potion undergoes value addition. He said there was need to diversify milk sources through the creation of policies and other interventions to ensure production of milk was sustained.

Kimtai was speaking at the Naivasha Dairy Training Institute (DTI) during the graduation ceremony of students in Dairy Science and Technology.